ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2021
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Loneliness and Social Isolation: A Multi-Country Study.
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 95 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
95 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 196 citations in OpenAlex.
- Social Isolation and Loneliness in People Living With Chronic Kidney Disease and Kidney Failure: A Mixed Method Systematic Review.Journal of renal care · 2026Pooled it
- The range of countermeasures to reduce inequalities in mental health care for socially marginalized or medically vulnerable adults: a PRISMA systematic review.BMC health services research · 2026Pooled it
- Accompaniment in the healthcare sector: a systematic review and concept analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Interventions to Reduce Loneliness in Community-Living Older Adults: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of general internal medicine · 2024Pooled it
- The Association of Social Support and Loneliness with Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Factors Associated with Depression and Anxiety in Adults ≥60 Years Old during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- The impact of loneliness and social isolation on the benefits of an exercise program with hospitalised older adults.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2024Trial
- Greater Social Isolation and Social Constraints Prior to Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Are Associated with Greater Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2024Trial
- Developing a brief assessment of social risks for the Veterans Health Administration Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients.Health services research · 2023Trial
- Disability transitions and life expectancy: a national longitudinal study on social isolation and loneliness in China.Global health action · 2026Article
- Have Australians become more lonely and socially isolated? A longitudinal analysis of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia study.International journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Material economic hardships are associated with second-year hospitalizations after pediatric liver transplantation: Results from the SOCIAL-Tx study.Liver transplantation : official publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society · 2026Article
- Associations between loneliness severity and depression and suicidal ideation among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.Aging & mental health · 2026Article
- Prevalence of Loneliness and Social Isolation by Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Other Factors: Estimates From the 2024 Household Pulse Survey.Community mental health journal · 2026Article
- Factors Associated with Unmet Healthcare Needs in Serbia Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Analysis Based on EU-SILC Data.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Motor Performance Before, During and After COVID-19 and the Role of Socioeconomic Background: A 10-Year Cohort Study of 68,996 Third Grade Children.Sports medicine - open · 2026Article
- Adolescent wellbeing after COVID-related school-closings.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Editorial: Decoding the neuroanatomy of addiction: insights into substance use disorders.Frontiers in neuroanatomy · 2026Article
- Nonlinear Association of Daily Sitting Time With Depression Risk in US Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.Behavioural neurology · 2026Article
- The Causal Effect of Social Isolation on Cannabis Use Disorder and the Mediating Role of Depression: Evidence From a Mendelian Randomization Study.Brain and behavior · 2025Article
35 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
17 authors at 12 institutions in 7 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The COVID-19 global pandemic and subsequent public health social measures have challenged our social and economic life, with increasing concerns around potentially rising levels of social isolation and loneliness. This paper is based on cross-sectional online survey data (available in 10 languages, from 2 June to 16 November 2020) with 20,398 respondents from 101 different countries. It aims to help increase our understanding of the global risk factors that are associated with social isolation and loneliness, irrespective of culture or country, to support evidence-based policy, services and public health interventions. We found the prevalence of severe loneliness was 21% during COVID-19 with 6% retrospectively reporting severe loneliness prior to the pandemic. A fifth were defined as isolated based on their usual connections, with 13% reporting a substantial increase in isolation during COVID-19. Personal finances and mental health were overarching and consistently cross-cutting predictors of loneliness and social isolation, both before and during the pandemic. With the likelihood of future waves of COVID-19 and related restrictions, it must be a public health priority to address the root causes of loneliness and social isolation and, in particular, address the needs of specific groups such as carers or those living alone.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.